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Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia to be raised in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles. “The best of all the Greeks”—strong, beautiful, and the child of a goddess—Achilles is everything the shamed Patroclus is not. Yet despite their differences, the boys become steadfast companions. Their bond deepens as they grow into young men and become skilled in the arts of war and medicine—much to the displeasure and the fury of Achilles’ mother, Thetis, a cruel sea goddess with a hatred of mortals.

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The world will end on Saturday. Next Saturday. Just before dinner, according to
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The long-awaited first novel from the author of
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A strange tale from purgatory

By
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2018-02-14

Publisher's Summary

From one of our boldest, most celebrated new literary voices, a novel about a young woman's efforts to duck the ills of the world by embarking on an extended hibernation with the help of one of the worst psychiatrists in the annals of literature and the battery of medicines she prescribes

Our narrator should be happy, shouldn't she? She's young, thin, pretty, a recent Columbia graduate; she works an easy job at a hip art gallery and lives in an apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan paid for, like the rest of her needs, by her inheritance. But there is a dark and vacuous hole in her heart, and it isn't just the loss of her parents, or the way her Wall Street boyfriend treats her, or her sadomasochistic relationship with her best friend, Reva. It's the year 2000 in a city aglitter with wealth and possibility; what could be so terribly wrong?

My Year of Rest and Relaxation is a powerful answer to that question. Through the story of a year spent under the influence of a truly mad combination of drugs designed to heal our heroine from her alienation from this world, Moshfegh shows us how reasonable, even necessary alienation can be. Both tender and blackly funny, merciless and compassionate, it is a showcase for the gifts of one of our major writers working at the height of her powers.

I love it...

Very few times I become obsessed with a book, and this one made the trick!
I was engaged at all times, expectant with what was coming and sad that it ended.
The style is quick, anxious, serene, well constructed.
R for Recommended!

21 of 22 people found this review helpful

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Kat - Audible

2018-07-10

Who doesn’t want to sleep through life sometimes?

Strong, world-conquering heroines are everywhere these days. I admire them, which might be why I’m also a bit bored of them. Thank God for Ottessa Moshfegh, who has a knack for making miserable characters eerily seductive (I see you and I love you, Eileen). At the center of My Year of Rest and Relaxation is another disdain-able type: a beautiful, privileged twentysomething who tries to escape her angst—aided by enough pharmaceuticals to make Hunter S. Thompson bat an eye—by sleeping all. The. Time. It’s a simple, ingenious plot that yields more narrative tension than you might think (I was reminded at times of The Girl on the Train’s blackout-induced mysteries), made all the juicier by Oshfegh’s razor-sharp insights, a send-up of the New York art scene, odes to Whoopi Goldberg, and world-weary narration by the amazing Julia Whelan. A lavish ending caps off this wholly original novel. Don’t sleep on it!

25 of 27 people found this review helpful

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Natalie Budde

2018-07-22

Couldnt stop listening!

What a great premise for a book! I binge listened to this book and finished it in a day. A different story line than I’m used to choosing, but I’m glad I did. How does this woman survive the combination of medications she takes!!

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Naina Ahluwalia

2018-07-26

Loved it!!

A really weird tale of a strangely relatable narcissistic young woman with first world pains and deep denial. Fascinating.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Juan Enrique Toro

2018-08-07

A fantastic journey into nothing

The story has one on the edge of something that never happens. Yet there is a depth that inspired the heart. We all have own way to navigate this crazy world.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Overall

4 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

4 out of 5 stars

Chchchelo

2018-08-07

Excellent, thoughtful read

This is the second book by Ottessa Moshfegh I’ve read. Her books have a unique voice, and unusual characters. I enjoyed this books quite a lot, but I liked it more once I stopped waiting for something (anything!) to happen. This book is about the journey, there is no destination.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Overall

4 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

4 out of 5 stars

Gigi76

2018-08-06

Surprising good!

I didn't think I was going to like this book, but I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I love this narrator, and she reads this oddball story as superbly as I knew she would.
Why do I like this book? I don't know. I just do.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Winifred Hinson

2018-07-23

strange but absorbing

can't decide if this story is really true. unlike any memoir I have ever read. but totally worth reading

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

victoria Roberts

2018-08-03

Magnificent

I could not “put this book down,” could not stop listening. What a writer! Julia Whelan does a masterful job of bringing this extraordinary work to life. Thanks for this beautiful production.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Overall

1 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

1 out of 5 stars

Kindle Customer

2018-09-15

Absolute Waste

I don’t normally leave reviews, but this was absolutely awful. I wish I hadn’t stuck it out to the end. I just want my time and money back.

Julia Whelan did an excellent job narrating. They should pay her double what the agreed upon amount was as way of an apology for making her read this horrible book